Our Record
by Procrastinator17
Summary: Basically a 30-Day Challenge (inspired by NekuSakuraba101's Challenge) mixed with a novel about Kano and Kido's adventures as they grow up together. Lots of theories about their childhood and the Heat Haze (sort of), cute fluffiness, drabbles, blah, blah, blah... Enjoy! Rated T just in case...
1. Meeting

_**A/N: **_

_**My first chapter of my first story! Yaaaaaaayyyyy~ Well, I'm calling this a 30-Day Challenge because I'm writing 30 chapters, but it's really more of a story about the lives of Kano and Kido as they grow up together and *cough* fall in love *cough*. **_

_**It was inspired by the 30-Day Challenge by NekuSakuraba101, but I'm going to try to make this as different as possible. The chapters are chronological, so anything that happens in a chapter is relatable to future chapters. Please enjoy ^^**_

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1. Meeting

Tsubomi stared at her reflection with discontent. She pulled at the ribbon around her neck, which had been tied too tightly by her butler. She sighed and tugged at her skirt before finally turning away from the mirror and approaching her room door. She really didn't want to leave the safety of her room, but she was hungry, and figured she might not be too late to get some breakfast. She clutches the doorknob for several seconds before her growling stomach motivates her to open the door and step into the hallway.

However, as soon as she shut the door behind her, she regretted it. She had been woken up late, and the staff of the estate were now busily roaming the house in pursuit of their chores. There was no way she could avoid their detection now… She immediately felt exposed to the harsh judgments and glares of her aggressors.

Her eyes never leaving the ground, Tsubomi slinks her shoulder against the wall and slowly makes her way down the hallway. However, halfway to the dining hall, she finds herself shaking—like the walls were beginning to close in around her. Her hand closed into a fist along the wall as her footsteps grow more rapid. Did they always have this many servants? It seemed like the amount of gossipy whispers had increased recently… Once again, Tsubomi found herself wishing she could just… Disappear.

No longer hungry, she walks right past the dining room, and towards the staircase leading to the main hall. Still leaning against the wall and looking downwards, she didn't notice the presence of someone approaching until a hand touched her shoulder. Tsubomi looks up to see the warm, gentle face of her sister, passing by with her personal maid, apparently on the way to another private lesson. However, the comfort and relief Tsubomi felt from seeing the kind face of someone who actually cared about her lasted only a moment. The maid hurried her sister along up the staircase, and Tsubomi was once again alone.

She continued her way down the stairs in a hurry. She passes through the main hall and into the west wing of the mansion, finding herself nearly running to her destination. Reaching the room at the farthest area of the mansion, she hurriedly pushes the door open and rushes in, trying not to slam it shut behind her.

Taking a deep breath and sighing out, she walks through the room—an abandoned sunroom that used to be used for elegant tea-drinking meetings, but was now used for storage. It was the one room in the entire estate where Tsubomi knew she wouldn't be bothered. Two walls were made completely of glass, and showed a beautiful view of the well-manicured garden outside.

Crossing the room, she approaches and uncovers something that had been her closest friend for as long as she could remember: An old Grand Piano she had taught herself to play in her abundant free time. Pulling out the bench and lifting up the glossy cover over the keys, she sits down and sighs. Lifting her hands, she gingerly sets her fingers on the keys, and presses down a single chord, checking the tuning of the piano.

Satisfied with the sound, Tsubomi continues into a secession of repeating chords, followed by 12-note melody—a song she composed on her own. Halfway through the song, she feels comfortable enough to look away from the keys and out towards the garden. However, her fingers come to a complete stop when she sees a face sticking up over the back fence.

Standing up in surprise, her eyes widen as she stares at the face, which quickly ducks back behind the fence and disappears. Without thinking, she stands up and runs to the glass door leading outside, pushing it open and hurrying down the steps into the garden.

"What am I doing?" she wondered to herself, "Why am I so eager to see who that was? It's like I'm not in control of myself… Besides, whoever it was probably won't even be there by the time I…" Her thought was interrupted by her approaching the short white fence. Placing her hands on top of it, she leans forward and barely manages to peek over the edge…

The first thing her eyes see is white. A white flower, to be exact. Her nose almost touches it as it's brought up to her face suddenly. Her eyes widen, and her head flinches back a bit. As she recovers, her eyes follow the figure of the one holding the flower as it rises up from the ground. Her eyes meet those of a young boy, whom she instantly guessed was about her age, based on his similar height.

His eyes were big and yellow, and they reminded her of the eyes of a mischievous cat. His light blonde hair is messy, and mostly covered by a black hood he wore. He smiles at her happily as he holds out the flower to her.

Tsubomi simply stares at him for a few moments, confused. She takes a step back, eyeing him.

"Hi!" he begins casually, "My name's Shuuya. Kano Shuuya! What's yours?"

Tsubomi knew better than to speak with strangers, but she had a strange feeling that she could trust the boy—that he was good-hearted, despite his rough and strange appearance. So she responded, "Kido… Tsubomi…"

"Oh! That's a pretty name! I like it!" Shuuya beams brightly at Tsubomi, once again holding out the flower to her.

Tsubomi had never heard that before: That her name was "pretty". She felt her cheeks heat up a bit at the compliment, and fiddled with her fingers for a bit before taking the flower from him. At a loss for words, she found herself asking the first question that came to her mind: "Why… are you here?"

"Hm? Oh, I come by here a lot, actually! I see you in that room all the time, and I love hearing you play." He smiles again, resting his elbows on the fence and his head on his hands, gazing at Tsubomi. She thought it was strange that she had never noticed him out there before, let alone the fact that a boy as young as he was allowed to go out on his own without supervision. But, she still found herself blushing at his words, as much as she tried to hide it.

The two of them stood there in silence for a while, Tsubomi staring shyly at her feet and Shuuya staring at Tsubomi. But suddenly, Shuuya's head perks up and looks behind her in surprise, and he quickly leans away from the fence. "Oops. Guess it's time to go!"

Tsubomi turned her head to see a very angry gardener approaching the two kids in a rage. She swivels back and looks at the retreating Shuuya's back desperately. "W-Wait! Will you come back?"

Shuuya stops briefly in his movement, and turns back, grinning back at her. "Oh, Tsubomi. I'll never leave you!"

Tsubomi felt her cheeks heat up again as he turned away again, quickly trotting out of sight. But, as the gardener stormed up to her, demanding to know what was going on, she finally realized something… Were those bandages on his neck and hands? She gazed back in the direction that he had disappeared, shaking the thought from her head.

Even though she knew that this confrontation would only raise more rumors and judgments against her, she silently prayed that she would see Kano Shuuya again…

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_**A/N: **_

_**WOW, that went waaaaaayyyy longer than I thought it would be. But this is an idea I've had for a long time now, and I just HAD to have it be the first chapter. The idea is based off of a picture I saw of young Kano holding out a white flower to young Kido, so I just had to… Anyway, the past tense I used in this chapter was weird, I know, and I might have accidentally switched tenses a few times, but it was a long chapter, so sorry about that ^^; Anyway, thanks for reading!**_


	2. Meeting Again

2. Meeting Again

A month had passed since the night the Kido Estate was burned down. Everyone inside had been killed or injured beyond help, and Tsubomi's father had run off and disappeared. Tsubomi remembered everything that had happened, but she refused to speak a word of it to anyone who asked. With no family to turn to, she was labeled an orphan and administered into a nearby orphanage.

Today, during recess, Tsubomi sat on the swings in the furthest corner of the playground, as she always did. There, she was always left alone by the other kids, although most of the time, they couldn't see her anyway. She didn't really mind. She was used to it. However, today was different. Tsubomi saw a pair of shadows overlap with hers, and she looked up to see two boys standing in front of her.

One of the boys was hiding behind the shape of the other. He had a very meek facial expression and posture, and long black hair that contrasted his pale skin. He had large brown eyes, but, for a moment, Tsubomi could've sworn they had a pale, red tint to them. The other boy seemed to have much more confidence—he was standing straight with his hands on his hips, and had a large grin on his face. His blonde hair and eye color seemed familiar to Tsubomi, but he couldn't seem to put her finger on it.

After studying the boys for a moment, Tsubomi quickly looked back down at the ground.

"Hi!" began the blonde one, "Wanna play with us?"

Tsubomi stayed quiet and looking at the ground, unsure how to respond.

The boy continued, stepping closer to her. "My name's Shuuya. And this here is Kousuke. Do you wanna play with us?"

No response. But another spark of familiarity started in her memory. She knew this boy… from somewhere. The image of the estates back yard flashed into her mind, before being quickly replaced by fire and a collapsing building. Tsubomi shook it out of her mind.

The boy took another step towards her and kneeled down onto the ground, looking up at her. "Hey, no need to be shy! We wanna be friends, that's all!" Tsubomi looked away, not wanting to make eye contact with the boy. The boy tried to follow her gaze, confused. But, after a few moments of awkward silence, he shrugged and stood up. "I guess we'll just have to keep trying, Kousuke." The raven-haired boy was also silent, and seemed to have found something on the ground that captured his attention.

Shuuya crossed to the swing next to Tsubomi's and sat down, pushing himself back and forth. "Are you always this quiet, Tsubomi?" Tsubomi looked at him in surprise. She hadn't told him her name yet… Had she? But Shuuya's face remained the same as he looked forward with a silly grin. She wondered what he was smiling so much about.

Every day after that, Shuuya and Kousuke would meet up with Tsubomi at the swings. Although Tsubomi and Kousuke never said much, Shuuya always had some sort of topic to keep them interested, and always wore the same silly grin. As weeks passed by, Tsubomi found herself growing more and more attached to them, even though she never showed it…

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_**A/N: **_

_**Alright, so I know that it's really just more of a fanfic right now, later chapters will be more KanoKido-y and whatnot. But like I said, right now it's more just chronologically going through their lives. Most of these beginning chapters will be a lot of theories about what the trio's childhood was like on my part, so if any information is ever released that contradicts what I write, forgive me ^^;**_


	3. Playing Together

3. Playing Together

She got what she wanted. The ability to disappear. But she hated it. She couldn't control it. Her eyes would burn, and then she would be gone. People would look for her, even though she'd be right in front of her. She would call out for them, but they couldn't hear her. She never realized just how alone she was.

But what she hated the most were the red eyes that accompanied her curse. To match the burning sensation she felt when she disappeared, a deep red color replaced the natural darkness of her pupils. It reminded her of blood.

Tsubomi gazed into the mirror at her reflection, loathing her currently red eyes. She lifted her hand and combed it through her scruffy hair, trying to cover her eyes as much as possible. Once satisfied, she sighed and rubbed her eyes before stepping away from the mirror, and walking down to the playground for recess.

As usual, Kousuke and Shuuya were waiting for her by the swings. But this time, they were joined by several other kids. No doubt Shuuya called them to play together in an attempt to bring Kousuke and Tsubomi out of their shells. Tsubomi approached the group from behind slowly, clenching her hands together nervously.

Looking over the shoulders of a few kids, she notices Shuuya immediately, explaining some sort of game to the kids with enthusiasm. It only takes a few seconds for him to notice her presence, and he jumps down from the stone he had been projecting himself from. He trots over towards her and reaches his hand out through the crowd, grabbing her wrist and pulling her through.

Immediately, Tsubomi heard the familiar whispers of "Where did she come from?" and "I didn't even see her…" from the other kids as Shuuya pulled her to the other side, where he had previously been standing.

"Alright then! Now that everyone's here, why don't we start?" Shuuya called out loudly. Tsubomi looked at him worriedly.

"Start what?" she asked quietly.

He looked at her and smiled. "Start playing, silly. We're all playing Hide-and-Seek!"

"Hide-and-Seek?" Tsubomi remembered occasionally playing that game before with her half-sister, but she had never played it since coming to the orphanage. By this time, the trio all knew about each others' abilities, including the fact that Tsubomi couldn't control hers. If she was left alone, she could disappear completely, and no one would be able to find her until someone ran into her by chance.

Tsubomi wondered if Shuuya was teasing her. He often promised that he wouldn't let her disappear, and would teach her to control her ability. But then, why would he initiate a game that focused on hiding from someone else? She continued to watch him, looking for a sign of some sort of plan or trick he was hiding from her. But she saw no change in his expression or composure as he turned around and covered his eyes, counting down from ten.

"Ten…"

The kids scattered, chattering and giggling as they went.

"Nine…"

Tsubomi watched.

"Eight…"

Children began to disappear into trees, playground equipments, behind plants and pottery, etc…

"Seven…"

Kousuke touched Tsubomi's arm gently, smiling at her with a reassuring grin before cantering off.

"Six…"

Tsubomi panicked. Suddenly looking around for a hiding spot, her eyes met with a clump of bushes next to a birdbath.

"Five…"

She began running.

"Four…"

Her eyes burned.

"Three, two, one! Here I come!" Tsubomi dived behind the bushes and turned around. Great. She could see the whole playground. She was sure they could see her too. She leaned up against the birdbath and pulled her knees to her chest, watching Shuuya as he pranced around the playground, finding and calling out children left and right. He circled it once, twice, three times, scanning for the tricky hiders and recruiting them to find the even tougher ones.

Several times, a kid would approach Tsubomi's hiding spot, but would fail to spot her. As she rubbed her eyes, she realized that her presence must have been hidden. She knew they wouldn't find her there.

_But, do I really want to be found? _She wondered to herself. _Shuuya wanted me to play this dumb game, knowing that this would happen! _Tsubomi suddenly found herself feeling quite stubborn, and even angry towards Shuuya. She wanted to get back at him for teasing her like this. So she would stay hidden. _If that's what he wants, that's what he'll get._

Several minutes passed. Most of the kids had given up on the game, and had gone inside for a snack, or went back to playing other games. The only ones still poking around the playground were Shuuya, Kousuke, and two other kids who had nothing better to do than try to find an invisible girl.

More time passed. Tsubomi began to wonder if she would ever be found. Of course, that was her intention, but she was beginning to doubt they were even looking for her anymore. She sighed and buried her face in her knees, suddenly feeling that unrelenting loneliness crawl back under her skin. Tears welled up in her burning eyes and dripped onto her clothing. She sniffed several times, trying to prevent her nose from dripping as well. Her hands clenched into fists as she thought about what a crybaby she was being. She wanted this, didn't she? Then… Why did it hurt so bad to be alone?

Tsubomi wanted to leap out from her hiding place. She wanted to run to Shuuya and hug him, telling him how sorry she was, and how she didn't want to disappear.

But, she didn't have to. Seeing the light outside her eyelids dim, she looks up. Her red, teary eyes met golden, cat-like ones that she knew all too well.

"S-Shuuya…?"

"I found you~" Shuuya cooed softly as he kneeled down in front of her, folding his arms over his knees as he looked at her.

Suddenly, Tsubomi felt extremely self-conscious. She bent her head back down and wiped furiously at her face, trying not to sniff. "I… I wasn't crying."

"Yeah, you were. You were crying because you thought I wouldn't find you."

"Was not…"

"Were too."

"Only… Only because you made me play this dumb game."

"I didn't make you play it. And, I thought that by playing Hide-and-Seek, you would learn how to control your Eyes."

Tsubomi couldn't take it. She sniffed and sobbed loudly, crying into her fists, curling herself up even tighter. "Well… hic! It didn't… hic! Work… hic! You couldn't… hic! Find me… hic!"

Shuuya sighed, looking at her with a helpless smirk. He extended his hand toward her and touched her shoulder lightly. "You mean it didn't work this time. But maybe it will, eventually. You just need practice." Tsubomi didn't say anything in return. She continued bawling, in a mixture of relief and frustration. So he continued. "You know I won't let you disappear, Tsubomi. I pinky promise." With that, he pulled his hand off his shoulder and extended his pinky.

Tsubomi finally looked up, her face red and dampened from tears. After a few moments of hesitation, she lifts her own hand, extends her pinky, and links it with his.

"Pinky promise…"

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_**A/N:**_

_**Yay~ I love writing about the trio as kids. Who doesn't? Well, since there really hasn't been much info about what their personalities as children were like, I tried to keep some of their older personalities in there, but with a dash of sweet-cuteness to replace their teenager-angstyness. Eneway (my KagePro-obsessed version of "anyway"), I'm going to have a few more chapters of their orphanage days before I move onto the next stage of their lives! Doesn't this whole thing kind of feel like "To the Moon" (if you've seen/played the game)?**_


	4. Their First Storm

_**A/N:**_

_**Okay, okay, I know. This is like, THE most used prompt in the history of KanoKido fluff. However, I thought it unfair that I shouldn't get a chance to write it because several other writers have. Nevertheless, I'll try to make this as different as humanly possible. Because I'm a human. Totally.**_

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4. Their First Storm

Tsubomi jolted awake with a scream as another loud boom filled the room. Several other girls in the orphanage were also terrified of storms like this one, but none as truly traumatized as Tsubomi. Each flash of light brought back a horrid memory of the sick, red light a fire brought into a room. Each crash of thunder reminded her of the ear-splitting crack of a support beam crash through the floor. She tried to sleep, but these memories haunted her endlessly, and she found no peace in closing her eyes and covering her ears alone.

A few of the older girls in the dorm moaned in annoyance, finding themselves unable to sleep due to the nervous squeaks and squeals of the younger girls, most especially Tsubomi. Mutters of "Go to sleep", or "Be quiet already" emerged from their beds as she whimpered to herself, realizing that she wasn't getting sleep unless…

She waited until the murmurs of the older girls quieted before getting out of bed. Her eyes burned, and when she passed by a mirror, she immediately noticed the blazing red color of them. Well, at least that would make it easier to sneak out…

Tsubomi's heart raced as she stepped out into the hallway. Flashes of lightning illuminate the walls of the orphanage. She swallows nervously as she leans her shoulder against the wall, slinking her way to the staircase down to the main hall, and then towards the staircase to the boys' dorms.

However, as she neared the base of the stairs, her head violently met with the head of someone else. Both parties leaped backwards, crying in pain and quickly covering their mouths, hoping no one heard. Tsubomi held her head and looked up at who she ran into, hoping it wasn't someone who would get her in trouble.

Another flash flooded the room, lighting up the boy's light hair and cat-like eyes.

"Shuuya…?" Tsubomi called out softly.

"Ah, Tsubomi… That really hurt." Shuuya responded, rubbing his head.

"What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing."

"I asked first!"

"Alright, alright. I was on my way to check on you, 'cause I thought you'd be scared of the storm—Woah!" Shuuya was knocked slightly backwards by Tsubomi as she rammed into him, gasping as another roll of thunder crashes throughout the orphanage.

Tsubomi dug her head into his chest, and grabbed desperately at his shirt as he stumbled backwards. She shut her eyes tightly as she hugged him, and felt his hands wrap around her back as well. He collapsed onto the ground, holding Tsubomi close to him as he shushed her.

"It's alright, Tsubomi. Nothing's going to hurt you."

"I… I know that…" Tsubomi whispered, her voice muffled by Shuuya's shirt, "But I'm still scared…"

Shuuya paused, unsure what to say. Instead, he hugged her tighter as another lightning bolt struck by. When it all became quiet again, he put his hand on her cheek and lifted her face so her eyes met his. He smiled at her casually.

"Would it make you feel better if I let you sleep in my bed, Tsubomi?"

Tsubomi instantly nodded. Shuuya helped her to her feet and guided her up the stairs to his dorm.

It didn't take long for Tsubomi to realize that the storm no longer bothered her. Laying in bed next to Shuuya, holding his hand, she smiled. She was happy. It was a warm feeling that she hadn't felt in a long time. _If Shuuya can bring me this much happiness… _She thought silently to herself, _I hope we can be together forever…_

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_**A/N:**_

_**Oh my gosh, PLEASE forgive me for that ending. I was having the worst case of writer's block ever. I could not for the LIFE of me think of a way to end it… That was the best I could do… Sorry. I promise my future chapters will be better…**_


	5. Being Adopted

_**A/N:**_

_**Okay, this one might not be as KanoKido-y as the others, but like I've said before, this collection is about Kano and Kido facing different events through their lives together, and I figured this would have been a big part of it for them (and Seto, but this isn't really a trio collection… Sorry, Seto. **__**I still love you.**__**)**_

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5. Being Adopted

Tsubomi and Shuuya looked at each other in confusion when they and Kousuke were suddenly called to come in from recess and get cleaned up. All three of them were scheduled for a sudden interview by a pair of adults looking to adopt.

Each of them had been in interviews for adoption before, but they were terrified of being separated from each other. So they each tried their hardest to make a bad impression on whoever was interested in them. Tsubomi and Kousuke simply would stay silent and not make eye contact, while Shuuya would be as rowdy as possible, bouncing of the walls and saying everything that came to his deceptive little mind. As such, they remained parentless, but at least they were together.

So you can only imagine their surprise when they were told that they were all to be interviewed together. Before separating to go clean their selves, they promised each other they would all do the best they could to make the best impression possible.

…

The trio was gathered together once again outside of the Interview Room, all shifting nervously as they waited. The Head Administrator of the orphanage soon led them inside, introducing them to the couple waiting inside.

Most couples that came in were either newlyweds or old folk, looking for a child they wanted right away or weren't able to have. Sometimes, single adults came in looking for a child to keep them company. However, the trio could tell right away that this couple was different.

The Administrator announced the couple to be the Tateyamas, Kenjirou and Ayaka. Kenjirou had a big, silly grin on his face as he looked at the three kids. Light brown hair that parted in the middle of his scalp partially covered his eyes, which shone behind rimmed glasses. He wore a white lab coat with a red-striped dress shirt underneath, along with dark dress pants to match. To Tsubomi, he seemed like an aloof, fun man, but also wasn't afraid to be serious and stern when he need be.

The woman Kenjirou was sitting next to and holding hands with, Ayaka, seemed just as kind and good-hearted as he did. Her medium-length hair was tied up into a ponytail, and a part of her bangs was pinned up by two bright red clips. She also wore a lab coat similar to her husband's, but underneath she wore a much more casual long-sleeved sweatshirt and jeans. Tsubomi quite liked the kind look they both shared.

She watched them and sat herself down in one of the three chairs set out for her, Shuuya and Kousuke. Casually looking to the side at her two comrades, she found that none of them were smiling, but there was an interested spark in their eyes.

Meanwhile, Kenjirou and Ayaka were also gazing at them, smiling brightly as the Administrator explained the usual Interviewing procedure to both parties before stepping out of the door and shutting it behind her, leaving just the trio and Tateyamas together.

"So," Kenjirou began, "we understand that you all arrived at this orphanage at about the same time. Was there some sort of incident you were all involved in—Ow!"

Ayaka slapped his arm with the back of her hand, wearing an annoyed look on her face as she looked at him. "Kenjirou! Don't be rude! You shouldn't ask such personal questions so quickly. I'm sure they're just as nervous as we are!" After a quick, quiet apology from Kenjirou, she looked back at them with the same sweet smile and kind eyes as before, continuing. "So, which of you is the oldest?"

The trio looked among each other before Tsubomi raised her hand.

"Ah, I see. Your name is Tsubomi, correct? And you're Shuuya, and you're Kousuke. Did I get that right?" As she said each name, she looked at the individual she was referring to. Each nodded respectively in reply.

"Ah, that's good. Well, you see, Kenjirou and I have a daughter at home. I believe she's about two years older than you three…"

"Ayaka, should we really be referring to ourselves by our first names? I mean, if we're going to adopt them, we should at least start with—Ow!" Another slap to his arm silenced him.

"Kenjirou! We'll let them call us whatever they want, but for now, we are NOT treating them like children."

"But they are—OW!"

"I'm terribly sorry about my husband. He can be a bit… immature at times," Ayaka cooed, still smiling. However, her eyes suddenly set on Kousuke, and her eyebrows perked up in interest. Tsubomi followed her gaze and looked at Kousuke.

His eyes were burning red. He was staring intently at Kenjirou, and didn't realize he was revealing his secret to the Tateyamas. Tsubomi nudged Shuuya, who nudged Kousuke, whose eyes widened in realization before he quickly looked down at his feet, ashamed. Tsubomi bit her bottom lip and hoped they didn't think too much of it.

However, both adults now seemed seriously interested in Kousuke, and Ayaka's eyes wandered to each kid slowly in silence. Tsubomi and Shuuya looked at each other worriedly.

A few minutes later, the Administrator entered the room again and announced that their time was up. The kids were escorted back to their dorms as the Tateyamas were brought to the main office to make their decisions.

Not even an hour had passed before the trio was told to gather their personal belongings and go down to the main office as well. There, the Tateyamas were waiting for them, with broad grins on their faces. Tsubomi looked at Shuuya and Kousuke in shock.

They were being adopted.

The ride to the Tateyama house was tense and mostly silent, except for Kenjirou occasionally asking a strange question or two, followed by a hard smack from Ayaka's hand.

Soon enough, the car pulled to a stop in front of a house, and Kenjirou turned around in his seat, looking at the nervous trio and smiling.

"Welcome home."

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_**A/N:**_

_**Hey, my writers' block wasn't so bad in this chapter! I think it went pretty well this time. Hopefully it'll continue this way from now on.**_


	6. New Lives

_**A/N:**_

_**Again, not a very KanoKido-y chapter. It's more of an Ayano's Theory of Happiness chapter. Alas, do not fear, fellow shippers! The day (or chapter) will come when the KanoKido shall commence!**_

* * *

6. New Lives

The first few weeks spent at the Tateyama house went by slowly. Although Kenjirou and Ayaka were sensitive and understanding about the awkwardness and uneasiness the trio felt about joining the house, Tsubomi, Kousuke, and Shuuya still found it difficult to truly open up to them. They found themselves constantly worrying about their red eyes and abilities being revealed to the Tateyamas, although they were sure they already knew.

The three of them refused to be separated from each other, and were silent and distant from the Tateyamas. They often slept in each other's beds at night, and even insisted on taking baths together. No matter what Kenjirou and Ayaka tried, they just couldn't break through to the kids, and get them to trust that they were safe in their home. It especially didn't help that Kenjirou and Ayaka often had work to do, whether at home or at their lab, so they couldn't spend as much time with the trio then they would have liked.

However, Ayano Tateyama, Kenjirou and Ayaka's daughter, attempted to remedy this whenever the parents couldn't. She would gather the kids together and try to play games with them. But, she often found that she was only playing with herself, as the trio would simply watch silently with their red eyes.

It wasn't until several more weeks later that Ayano finally broke through to them.

Sporting a red muffler she found in Ayaka's closet, she stood in front of the group in a dramatic pose, crying out, "Look, look! I'm a hero!" She had the trio's attention immediately. The shade of red she wore was the exact same as the color their eyes became when their abilities were activated. Through the countless months they had held their powers, they had grown to hate the red that announced their troublesome presence.

In the past, Ayano had tried to divert the kids' attention from the color they referred to as "monstrous". However, now she was wearing the color proudly. Shuuya and Tsubomi looked at each other in confusion, but a hint of interest sparked in their eyes as well. Detecting this, Ayano struck another heroic pose. "Red is the color of a hero! See? And you're all heroes too!" Tsubomi glanced at Kousuke as well, and he was smiling slightly. It was a sight none of them were used to seeing. Looking back to Shuuya, she was surprised to see him grinning as well. Ayano began giggling happily at her success, and even Tsubomi couldn't help but smile at seeing her foster siblings so excited.

"Alright!" Ayano called out, "now that we're all heroes, we should make a gang! And we'll go on secret missions, and help people!" With each statement, the excitement rose among the kids, and their rare smiles grew bigger. Ayano, ecstatic at finding something that made them smile, suddenly became very serious, sitting down cross-legged in front of them and folding her arms like some important gang leader.

"Alright! First order of business! We need some cool gang codenames!" The trio looked among each other excitedly. "You guys can call me 'Danchou'! But we need codenames for each of you!"

They spent the next several minutes chatting happily, discussing different ideas and codenames.

"How about our last names?" Shuuya suddenly suggested. They looked at him in confusion before he continued, "You know, our names before we got to the orphanage! Mine was Kano~"

There was a moment of silence as the gang thought about it.

"Mine… was Seto…" Kousuke added shyly.

Tsubomi saw no reason not to add hers, but still hesitated before answering, "Kido…"

Ayano smiled broadly. "I like those names a lot!" After a bit more silence, Kousuke, Shuuya, and Tsubomi nodded slowly in agreement. "That settles it then! From now on, you three are Kido, Kano, and Seto! And I'm Danchou! Got it?" More nodding followed.

They were really a gang now.

* * *

_**A/N: **_

_**Okay, I need to ask for your forgiveness again… I just… My life would not feel complete if I did not write about this specific thing, you know? I think it was rather cute, but I know you guys might be getting a bit anxious for my KanoKido bits… Yeah.**_


	7. Proposal

7. Proposal

The Tateyama house had grown much less lively since Ayaka's death. After the funeral, Kenjirou often locked himself in his laboratory, drinking heavily but not eating anything. Ayano, Tsubomi, Shuuya, and Kousuke had cried for days afterwards, but eventually, the gang's leader was back to her normal, brave self.

"Come on, you guys!" Ayano called out, trying to encourage the trio, "Mom wouldn't want us to be sad all the time! She'd want us to be brave, and keep doing our missions, and practicing, like she said she always wanted us to be!" The gang slowly nodded in agreement, but maintained their solemn gazes.

Ayaka had truly become a mother to the three. She was kind and patient with them, but stern when one (or all three) needed correction. Once she knew about their abilities, she spent all of her free time working with them, practicing their powers, learning of their full potentials and extents. When she died in the landslide accident, Tsubomi was the only one that still had troubles deactivating her ability.

Ayaka had always been especially sensitive towards Tsubomi and her ability. Perhaps it was because a parent's biggest fear was losing sight of their child, and that was something Tsubomi couldn't help but do. Ayaka personally made sure that someone was always with her, and when they found out that the touch of another person weakened her ability, she was assigned a "buddy" to hold her hand every time they went out (to which, of course, Shuuya always volunteered). When the trio went into middle school, she often worried about Tsubomi, and would always make sure that either Shuuya or Kousuke was watching her carefully when she couldn't be there. So, in a way, Tsubomi felt a certain attachment to her; a certain trust that she felt she couldn't have in anyone else.

So, even though everyone in the family felt the same amount of pain with Ayaka gone, it was natural that the young Tsubomi believed she was the most deeply hurt by her death. She was reminded of the loneliness she felt when she still lived in the Kido Estate. She began to feel panic rise in her chest as thoughts swarmed her mind.

_What if I'm never able to control my ability?_

_What if I completely disappear one day?_

_Why can I never be truly happy?_

Trying not to drown in her thoughts, she suddenly stood up from the circle the gang had sat in, clenching her fists and gritting her teeth.

"K-Kido?" Ayano looked up at her, her expression growing a bit worried at seeing the stress on Tsubomi's face, "What's the matter?"

Tsubomi ignored the groups' concerns for her, and turned around, quickly walking out of the room.

Shuuya watched as Tsubomi left in a huff. Despite Ayano's apologetic calls for her to come back, she did not return. He looked at Ayano, expecting an explanation.

"I… I guess she needs more time…" Ayano concluded. Shuuya and Kousuke nod slowly again.

* * *

They decided to spend the next several minutes discussing "missions" and "orders of business", as they often spent their time doing, but their voices were quiet and joyless. The clouds outside darkened the shadows in the house, matching the somber attitude its occupants held.

Nearly an hour passed, mostly spent in silence, before the gang decided to go look for Tsubomi. When she was gone for this long, she was either really angry, or her Eye Ability had been activated, and she was off crying somewhere. Since they saw no reason that she would be angry about, they supposed it was the second choice, and split up to search for her. Ayano would search the top floor, Shuuya the bottom floor, and Kousuke would check the yard.

The three of them set out on their new mission (which was a mission they found themselves on many times), calling out Tsubomi's codename and looking through every room, behind every piece of furniture, on every step.

"She's not up here!" Ayano soon called out from atop the staircase.

"I can't find her out here either!" Kousuke soon responded from the door leading outside.

"Any luck, Kano?" Ayano asked, a hint of concern in her voice. Shuuya looked up at her from his place at the bottom of the stairs and shook his head. However, there was one place he hadn't checked yet. He mentally slapped himself for not thinking of it earlier. Suddenly running off, he dismissed Ayano's confused shouts and hurried toward the laundry room.

Shuuya knocked on the closed door when he approached it. "Kido~? Are you in there?" No response came from the room, which, oddly enough, only strengthened Shuuya's belief that she was in there. So, after a slight pause, he pushed the door open and stepped in.

The room was completely silent, and dim from the limited light shining through the one, small window. Besides the washing and drying machines, and the slightly organized piles and bins of washed or unwashed clothing, the room was seemingly empty. Shuuya smirked slightly and looked around. "Now, now~ You know better than to hide from us~" Taking an educated guess, Shuuya stepped towards the wall opposite from the side of the window, and kneeled down, extending his hand outwards.

He stopped when his hand met something soft. He blinked, and suddenly, Tsubomi's form was directly in front of him. His hand had met the top of her head, and he instantly smiled at her. Her knees were pulled to her chest, with her arms folded protectively around them. She looked up at him with cold eyes.

"I wasn't trying to hide from you, you know," she began, hinting at annoyance.

"Ah~ But you should have come to us when we were calling for you if you weren't." Tsubomi didn't reply, and looked away from him shamefully. "So, tell me. Why _are _you hiding here?" She shrugged, as if she didn't know. "Now, come on, Kido! You can tell me." Still no reply. "Is it about mom?"

Tsubomi hesitated before nodding.

"Ah~ Now we're getting somewhere!" Shuuya chuckled before softening his grin. "Kido, we're all upset about it. But, it's like what Aya-nee told us. We need to be brave. It's what she'd want, right?"

"I… I can't, Shuuya," Tsubomi finally responded. Her voice trembled, and she bit her lower lip as she tried to hide her teary eyes by tucking her head between her knees. "I'm not brave like you. I… I don't want to disappear!"

Shuuya's smile faded further, and he began to rub her head. "Tsubomi, you're not going to disappear. We're all going to help you. Stop worrying about it!"

Frustrated, Tsubomi cried out, "No! It's not going to work! No one can help me! Only mom could…" Her sentence was cut off by her sniffing as she tried not to cry. But it was too late. Tears ran down her concealed face faster than she could mentally command them to stop.

"Tsubomi… What can I do to make you believe that I'll never let that happen to you?" After several seconds of nothing but Tsubomi's soft sobs, he opened his mouth and said calmly, "What if you married me?"

Tsubomi's sniffles stopped for a moment as her head whipped up in surprise. "…Eh?!" She searched his face for a sign that what he just said was a joke, but every single feature on his face was still and sincere. His yellow eyes gazed at hers.

"Marry me, Tsubomi. That way, you'll never be alone. I can be with you all the time, to make sure you don't disappear."

Tsubomi stared at him, her eyes wide with surprise as tears continued to stream down her face. An eternity seemed to have passed before Shuuya leaned forward and kissed her cheek, causing her face to turn red even more than it had been before. When he leaned back, his usual smirk was back where it had always been.

"Alright, I see~ I'll let you think about it then!" He tilted his head and smiled broadly at her as he stood up and headed towards the door, leaving the flushed Tsubomi still huddled up against the wall, staring into space in shock.

He entered the hallway, leaving the door behind him open and walking triumphantly past Ayano, who had been watching the whole time with a smile on her face.

* * *

_**A/N:**_

_**Okay, just so you know, I thought it was still a bit too early to refer to the trio by their codenames, but those are the names they've grown used to calling each other by now (for the most part), so that's why I switch between them between the dialogue and narrative parts. But I'll start calling them "Kido", "Seto", and "Kano" within the next few chapters.**_

_**Also, I know what you're thinking. Yes, this chapter was a lot like chapter 3. But originally, this chapter was going to be called "Playing Together (Reprise)". It was basically just going to be the same thing over again, until it finally hit me that it was going to be the exact same thing. So, when I was unsuccessful in creating a new idea completely, I ended going with a similar idea, but a different plot, and a bit more of a romantic twist to it. Forgive me, I just love this little prompt so gosh darn much!**_


	8. First Day of School

_**A/N:**_

_**Alright, so I made a slight mistake in my chapter-planning. Since I had slightly changed the previous chapter from my original plan, I unintentionally pushed it forward in my story's timeline. This next chapter technically should have been chapter 7, but since I already wrote and uploaded that chapter yesterday, I'll just have to make due with this. Just know that the prompt for this chapter takes place a good amount of time before the previous chapter…**_

* * *

8. First Day of School

"I look dumb!"

"You look fine!"

"Come on, Kido! You're just nervous!"

"I am not, Kano! I just can't stand this dumb uniform!"

Thus was the content of the bickering young Tsubomi and Shuuya upheld that morning. Tsubomi had just stepped out from her and Ayano's room in her new school uniform, and the first response she received was a poorly-hidden snort from her blonde foster brother. At that, Tsubomi had immediately retreated to her room and slammed the door shut. Shuuya attempted to coax her back out, but to no avail.

"Kano, we're going to be late…" Kousuke whimpered nervously. He was just as anxious as the rest of them for their first day of school, but simply did the worst job of hiding it. He fumbled with the straps on his school satchel, and his feet shifted uncomfortably.

Shuuya looked back at him and smirked. "Don't panic, Seto. We won't be late." He then raised his voice and called in a mocking tone, "I guess we'll just have to leave without her!"

"But, Kano—"

"Now, now, Seto~ You just said we'll be late if we don't leave now, so if Kido still needs time to make peace with her skirt, she can just catch up later!" He shrugged his shoulders and turned away from the door, making especially loud footsteps towards the staircase. The door violently swung open suddenly, making Kousuke jump as Tsubomi stormed out, clutching her bag and her back hunched over as she stomped past Shuuya. She muttered words to herself as she made her way down the stairs, and Shuuya beamed at Kousuke and gave him a thumbs up.

The three of them joined Ayano at the front door, whom had just received their lunches from Ayaka, and smiled at them sweetly as she noticed the nervous air surrounding them.

"Don't worry, you three! I'm sure you'll all have a lot of fun!" The trio nodded, but still showed signs of their persisting anxiety. Ayaka approached them with wide arms and hugged each one individually, but was clearly just as nervous as they were. Her voice wavered slightly in a rushed tone as she instructed them.

"Alright, remember to be safe when you walk to school! Ayano, I'm counting on you to keep track of them to and from—Please, behave in class, all of you, make lots of friends, respect your teacher, eat your lunch, don't be scared to ask to use the bathroom, I love all of you so much…" She herded them out the door and waved, watching them with concerned eyes as they walked down the road towards the middle school. "Have a great day!" They each waved back, chuckling helplessly at her behavior.

However, Tsubomi's face was still slightly flushed, and her hands were clutched into tiny fists over her skirt protectively. Shuuya's face was contorted into an expression of contained hysteria as Kousuke watched the two of them warily. Ayano was too busy feeling like a grown-up to notice. She strutted onwards, leading her troops onto their next mission.

As they approached the school building, their nerves tingled with excitement and growing anxiety. Ayano reluctantly said goodbye to the trio after pointing them in the direction of their classroom, and they each headed in their own directions.

When they reached the classroom, they hesitated and loitered outside until they were found by the teacher and ushered into the classroom, where they introduced themselves to the class and were assigned seats.

Tsubomi was intent on the lesson, but she felt the eyes of several other kids in the class burning the back of her head throughout the day. At lunch, she, Kousuke, and Shuuya were bombarded with questions from their new classmates. However, Shuuya took the brunt of it, and answered all their nosy questions fluidly, smiling at them as Kousuke and Tsubomi took a back seat and watched silently.

Shuuya was a natural at pleasing the other kids. He was an instant hit among them, and even though they crowded him to an extent that looked uncomfortable, he seemed to fit in right in the center of them, and still managed to swing his arms out in great gestures without hitting anyone. Tsubomi watched him, slightly in awe of his natural sociability, when she spotted a certain group of girls standing slightly off to the side.

They were standing in a circle, but their eyes were gazing in the direction of the blonde boy's performance. Their mouths were moving at a rapid pace, but Tsubomi could make out a few words. "Cute", "handsome", "sweet", "funny"… Were they describing Shuuya? Tsubomi's jaw opened a bit as she realized what was going on.

They _liked _him. She couldn't believe it. They had been there for one day, and these girls _liked _him. Then again, she could say the same thing about all of their classmates. As she looked around, she saw the same sort of admiration on all of the faces of the students. The more she looked, the more her heart twisted. She couldn't explain the feeling, but it was something similar to the way she felt when she was sick. She felt her face heat up, and her stomach twist.

Her gaze switched back to the swarm of girls off to the side, and her heart skipped a beat when she saw that several of them were looking straight at her. But not with the infatuated stares they had towards Shuuya. Their eyes held a sort of sudden darkness to them. It almost felt like… _hatred._ Their ice-cold glares pierced her as she saw their lips move again. She knew their words were directed at her.

Now she really felt sick. Her breath failed to come to her. Her vision blurred before her eyes as she stood up from her seat suddenly. She tried to focus on the ground to steady herself, and she took a few steps forward in the direction towards the bathroom. She placed one hand over her stomach, as if that would stop it from feeling like it was trying to push its way out through her esophagus. She heard Kano's voice quiet down behind her as she stumbled away from the table.

But, as she was nearing the entrance to the girls' bathroom, the toe of her shoe dragged on the ground, and she fell forward. The world seemed to spin about her, and her chest heaved. Blackness crept into the corners of her vision, and she felt her body begin to topple over onto the cold tile of the cafeteria. She thought she heard her name being called out in a panicked tone, but everything faded to black too quickly, and she fell unconscious.

...

When Tsubomi's eyes opened again, all she saw was white. A blinding whiteness that made her close her eyes tightly again. But a familiar voice caused them to snap open again.

"Kido~" She instantly knew who it was, and turned her head until her eyes met his yellow ones. "Hey there, Kido! Are you doing better now? Anything I can get you?" Tsubomi simply stared at him, confusion filling her face.

"What…What are you doing here?"

"Hm? Don't be silly, Kido~" he chuckled back casually, "You passed out in the cafeteria suddenly, so you were brought here."

Tsubomi looked back up at the ceiling, trying to recall what had happened. She could remember when she started feeling sick, and trying to get to the bathroom… But that was all. Shuuya continued. "The nurse said you got a small fever after having an anxiety attack. She thinks you were just overwhelmed because it's our first day! Oh, speaking of the nurse, I was told to go get her when you woke up!" Shuuya stood up, still smiling at her as he began to turn.

Tsubomi's eyes widened as she looked towards him. She didn't want him to leave yet! Extending an arm, she griped the cuff of his uniform jacket between her thumb and forefinger. Shuuya turned slightly and looked down at her. "Hm? Is something wrong?"

She didn't respond. She realized that she didn't really have a plan, and looked away, slightly embarrassed. But, as she was still clutching his sleeve, he continued to wonder. "Kido, could it be that you got upset about before?

Tsubomi looked back up at him in surprise, but quickly concealed her face by looking away. "Of course not… Stupid Kano…"

"Oh, so you _were _upset about it!" Shuuya teased and turned fully towards her again, grinning. "Were you jealous, Tsubomi?"

Tsubomi's eyes snapped towards him in fury. "I-I was not!" Shuuya smirked at her and leaned down towards her, placing one hand on either side of her and coming in until his face was inches from hers. Tsubomi felt her face flush red as she stared at his eyes. His smirk remained stationary on his face as he said, "Now, I hope you're not thinking that I'm going to forget about you because I'm popular. I'm not. You know you mean more to me than that."

Tsubomi's face went redder at these words, and she broke their eye contact, turning her head to the side. "I… I know… Don't be stupid…"

Shuuya smiled from ear to ear and stood up straight again, turning back around and walking towards the door, waving to Tsubomi. "Good. Get well soon!"

Tsubomi stared after him as he left, still trying to push down the blush in her face. "Stupid… Shuuya…"

* * *

_**A/N:**_

_**I had something I wanted to say… Oh well, maybe I'll remember it later~ Eneway, I want to thank my friend for helping me with the ideas for this chapter (you know who you are ^^).**_


	9. August 15th

9. August 15th

They had just gotten home from school when they heard the news. They had realized something was terribly wrong when they saw Kenjirou sitting by the television. He was sitting on the ground, hunched over as if he were just punched in the gut, and had the breath knocked out of him. On the television screen, the afternoon News was announcing the suicide of a young girl.

The trio was intrigued, but slightly unnerved by the sight of the distraught Kenjirou. It wasn't until a picture of a dark-haired girl wearing a red scarf appeared on the screen that they realized what had happened.

Tsubomi felt her heart skip a beat. Or stop completely. She couldn't tell. Her eyes widened as she stared at the screen.

"…Ayano Tateyama, fifteen years old, committed suicide earlier today by jumping off the roof of ****** High School. The young student's body was found by…" The words and images seemed to blur together as Tsubomi stumbled backwards, bumping into Shuuya's shoulder and hitting the wall behind them. Shock overcame her every sense as she looked towards her siblings.

Shuuya's eyes were wide, and his jaw hung open as he stared at the television screen in disbelief. Kousuke already had his face in his hands, shaking his head back in forth, as if trying to escape from a nightmare.

Tsubomi also found herself feeling as if in a bad dream. She regained her footing just long enough to make a run for the stairs. Grabbing the railing and tearing her way up the stairs, she tried to block out the voice of the lady on the News.

"…committed suicide by jumping off the roof…" Dead. _She couldn't be dead. She just couldn't be dead!_ Tsubomi ran into the room she and Ayano had shared, slamming the door behind her and leaning against it. Shaking her head, she held the sides of it, slowly sliding her back down the door. Thoughts pounded through her mind.

_I don't believe it… I can't believe it! Why would she kill herself?! She… She was our hero! She was supposed to be strong and brave for us! Why would she abandon us like this?! Was she not telling us something? Why would she hide something like that from us?! Did she not love us enough?! _

Tsubomi let out a frustrated cry before a wave of sobs hit her, as the realization of what had happened hit her again. This time, the shock was gone, and all that came were tears. As they streamed down her face steadily, she curled her knees tightly to her chest and wrapped her arms around them.

…

Several hours passed. The room had dimmed as the sun outside began to set. Tsubomi's face was still red and stained from her tears, although they had dried up long ago. She stared blankly into the air, feeling as if she had died along with her sobs, and was trapped on Earth to suffer.

Suddenly, she heard the doorknob twist above her, and someone trying to open the door.

"Tsubomi? Are you blocking the door? It's Kano…" Tsubomi acknowledged his voice, but had no strength to move away from the door. Shuuya kept trying to push it open, pleading with her. "Tsubomi, please let me in. I want to make sure you're okay…" Tsubomi somehow managed to lean her back away from the door, just wide enough for Shuuya to squeeze in through the crack between it and the wall. He gently shut the door and turned to Tsubomi, a worried expression across his face.

Not knowing what to do, he leans against the wall next to her and looks in the same direction as her. "I don't get it either. Why she…" Seeing Tsubomi tense up at the words, he stopped himself. Reaching over, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to him. He became a bit more concerned when she didn't fight him. She simply continued to stare blankly into space with dead eyes.

"Tsubomi… I know. It hurts… But, we have to be brave, remember? Just like how we were for—"

"No, Shuuya. Not this time. She's dead. We've lost everything." Shuuya's eyes widened slightly at hearing her sudden interjection. Her voice was hoarse from crying. He looked at her head, which was resting on his shoulder. He bit down on his lower lip as he felt tears rise in his eyes. He had been crying as well, but he had been using his Eyes to conceal the weariness on his face. He took a deep breath.

"Not quite… I mean, we have Kenjirou…" he tried to speak confidently, but his own voice wavered. Tsubomi's body began to tremble as she felt her eyes burn, trying to produce more tears as she repeated herself.

"We've lost everything, Shuuya. Don't you see? We've… lost everything…"

Shuuya tugged on her shoulder again, pulling her closer as he felt the rain of tears begin. He couldn't help but agree with her. At that moment, they both really did fel like they had lost everything.

* * *

_**A/N: Yes, I know. Very depressing chapter on New Years. I would have written something for New Years had I the sufficient time to… Oh well, this'll have to do.**_


	10. Running Away From Home

10. Running Away From Home

They knew he lost it the moment Ayano's face appeared on the television screen that day. They knew he was no longer in his right mind. They knew they weren't safe around him anymore. They had suspected it when Ayaka died, but now they were certain. But they didn't expect him to do anything.

After all, all he did was sit in his lab all day, not bothering to care for himself of the three kids who still lived with him. They took care of themselves, and attempted to convince him to do the same. He was their father, wasn't he? Why shouldn't they love the man who helped raise them?

But, deep down, they knew they had to leave. About a week after Ayano's death, Kenjirou suddenly started coming out and roaming about the house. He wouldn't do anything particular, but he would begin watching one of the trio intently. He would stay a distance away, but stare at them with an intense gaze, similar to the way a hawk would watch its prey. It made them extremely uncomfortable, and they soon found themselves purposefully coming home late, trying to avoid him. Occasionally, he would open his mouth and ask a strange question or two, such as "So, did you use your Eye Ability today?", or "What can you tell me about when you got your Ability?".

Of course, the three of them felt uncomfortable with his blatant, nosy questions, and they refrained from answering, either by ignoring him or avoiding the question. Each time they did so, he would grow very upset, even angry at times, and simply retreat back to his lab.

They had known about his and Ayaka's interest in their abilities since they first arrived in the Tateyama household, but they were never bothered by it. Until now, that is.

That's when Tsubomi, Shuuya, and Kousuke began looking for another place to stay.

"I saw fliers advertising for roommates in a nearby apartment complex," Kousuke mentioned as the trio sat in a circle in Tsubomi's room.

"That's no good," Tsubomi shook her head, speaking in a tone of immediate disapproval, "I don't think we can trust anyone…"

"Kido's got a point there," Shuuya chimed in, "We need a place of our own."

"Kano, don't be stupid. We don't have that kind of money, and we're not old enough!"

"Well, I know of this really cheap complex a bit further into the city. And, I'm sure you or Seto could pass as adults. Piece of cake!"

"Kano, that's lying…"

"He does it all the time. It's about as natural as breathing to him."

"Ouch, Kido… But, come on, you two! You know I have a point there! And, as for money, couldn't you just see us like in a dramatic TV soap opera, forced to do odd jobs for a tiny bit of cash, even selling our very bodies in the night—OW!"

"Just die already."

"I'm sure we could all find something to do. Plenty of small businesses have been opening recently, and I'm sure they'd be glad to hire young, healthy kids like us!"

"We won't be healthy when all our money is spent trying to pay out the apartment."

The three of them sat in silence for a while, searching their brains for a solution. They knew it would be hard, but they also knew that getting out of that house was worth taking any risk.

The next few days were spent scouring the local newspapers and internet sites for apartments for rent and good-paying jobs that would accept teenagers. Shuuya and Tsubomi skipped school and explored the city, eventually locating a cheap complex for rent, with a kind old landlady who didn't ask for much information about them. They simply told her they were in trouble and needed a place to stay, at least until they could find a better place. The lady replied that she was happy to help, and even gave them a discount on the price of the apartment.

After pooling their old allowance money, and selling a few things of little value to local brokers, they were ecstatic to find they had enough to rent the apartment. Just enough to pay for one month's rent, though. They knew they would all have to get serious jobs as soon as possible.

They were a bit saddened that they'd have to quit school, but their reason was justification enough for them.

So, on the morning they were to leave for the apartment, they packed up as much as they could—bags of food and drinks, small appliances, etc.—and headed out. They left a short note on the dining room table, explaining that they were leaving because they no longer felt safe in that environment. But they told him not to worry about them, and that they promised to take care of themselves.

When they reached apartment 107, the tenant handed Tsubomi the key to the door and welcomed them to the complex. Tsubomi unlocked the door and opened it, taking the first step into the run-down, musty old apartment.

This was also the first step into their new lives.

* * *

_**A/N: **_

_**Wow. Sorry this chapter was so late. I was busy writing the two different fanfics for Kido's b-day yesterday, and I'm going to be quite busy with certain social affairs tomorrow, so the next chapter might be late as well…**_

_**Anyway, this chapter is more of a theory as to how the trio moved out and got their apartment. I had a more dramatic theory as to why they felt the sudden urge to leave Kenjirou, but I realized that someone else had already written about that theory before, and I promised I would make this as different as possible ;-;**_


	11. Getting Jobs

11. Getting Jobs

"Kano, just how the hell did you get us into this?" Kido said in a stressed tone as they stared at the pile of shattered glass before them.

"Me? But Kido, you're the one who threw them into the air like that!" Kano retorted defensively, holding back a chuckle.

"Well, just what did you expect when you scared me like that?! Now we're going to be fired for sure, you idiot!"

"But, I just wanted to show you my cool uniform! And your face was so funny… kekeke…" A grin cracked on Kano's face before Kido whipped around and swung her fist at his face, making firm contact with his cheek and sending him swerving in the other direction.

Kido sighed. It was only a matter of time before they screwed up this job too. Seto had managed to land a well-paying part-time job right after the trio rented out their apartment, and been working hard at it. But Kano and Kido had switched jobs several times over the course of the past few weeks. From small businesses to large warehouses, they had signed up for nearly any job advertised in the city that would take kids their age. They had been currently working at a small, traditional Japanese restaurant for the past few days, being extremely careful not to screw up. However, in most cases, they were fired due to some destructive mishap—just like the current situation they were in.

Scratching her head furiously, Kido looked around for a way to clean up the mess. Surely, someone outside heard the huge crash the dishes made when they shattered on the ground, and she and Kano would be screwed if it was the manager of the restaurant. Not seeing any immediate way to clear the broken glass shards, she kneeled down by the pile and extended her hand towards it.

"Woah! Careful there, Kido!" Kano suddenly called to her in a surprisingly stern voice, "I don't want you cutting up your pretty little hands!"

"Shut up already, would you? I know how to handle glass!" Kido snapped back, taking hold of one of the larger shards gingerly in her fingers. But, as soon as she finished the last sentence, the sliding door that led into the kitchen opened abruptly, and, to the utter dismay of Kido, the old manager of the restaurant stepped through. At glancing up to see his sour face glaring down at her, Kido's muscles tensed, and the sharp edges of the broken glass in her hand slit her skin. She screeched in pain and dropped it, turning her palm over to see blood well up in the cuts it created.

"Just what have you done?!" the manager shouted over Kido's cry, storming over to the smashed dishes and inspecting them, "Broken! Every single one of them! Look at this mess! Do you realize how much I'll have to pay to replace these?!"

"I… I'm so sorry, sir!" Kido clutched her bleeding hand and turned to the manager, bowing apologetically. "It was an accident, honestly! I was—"

"It was my fault, sir," Kano interjected suddenly, stepping beside Kido and bowing deeply as well, "I was clumsy."

"Are you two complete imbeciles?!" the manager continued, his face burning red and smoke practically pouring from his ears, "Worthless employees like you are making my restaurant look like second-rate garbage!"

Kano was silent for a few moments before he stood up straight and looked the manager in the eyes, once again wearing his signature smirk. "Oh, I'm sorry. I assumed that was what it was!"

"Kano!" Kido hissed, looking up at him.

"Why you…!" the manager took a threatening step towards Kano, who stood his ground. "The money to replace those dishes will no doubt be coming out of your wages!"

"Oh, that won't be necessary," the confident blonde smirked at the man, holding his hand down to Kido. She hesitated before sighing and taking his hand, looking at him with worried eyes as she stood up beside him, still cradling her wounded hand. "Because we quit."

Kano tugged on Kido's arm, signaling to follow him out of the kitchen. He raised one hand and waved to the fuming manager as they walked out. "We'll return the uniforms in the morning!"

As soon as the two of them had walked a bit of a distance away from the restaurant, Kano turned to Kido, looking slightly concerned. "Show me your hand."

Kido refused, holding her hand behind her back. "Kano, how could you do that?! We finally had a job!"

"Because," Kano began, stepping towards her, "I wasn't about to let some stuffy, old, traditional man talk to my Kido that way!" His smile appeared again, and anger consumed Kido's face.

"_Your _Kido?!" she raised her uninjured hand and closed it into a fist, slamming it into Kano's gut. He grunted and crumpled to the ground as Kido walked past him.

"Looks like we're back to square one," he mumbled with a pained smirk.

* * *

_**A/N:**_

_**Again, sorry for the late chapter! I had trouble planning this one… Although it sort of turned out alright! I've decided to start using their codenames now, just so you know!**_


	12. Argument (Part 1)

12. Argument (Part 1)

The quietness of the apartment was interrupted by the abrupt, noisy entrance of the leader of the three-person Mekakushi Dan. The door swung open, and the two boys relaxing inside the room immediately felt the cold glare accompanying Kido as she stormed in.

"Ah, if it isn't our lovely Tsunami!" Kano chuckled at his own pun on Kido's first name as he avoided her piercing gaze.

"Kido, how did it go? You were gone when we woke up, so we assumed you went grocery shopping," Seto explained. Although, by the expression on her face, he could guess something went wrong.

"Oh, I went grocery shopping all right!" Kido began, swinging her arm forward and tossing a plastic bag filled with assorted foods onto the couch cushion next to Kano, "Because a certain _idiot_ was supposed to go yesterday, but didn't, and I had to go out early this morning to get some because we were out of food for breakfast!" Her words were slightly slurred as she stomped towards Kano in a rage.

Kano shirked back a bit, smirking nervously at her and shrugging. "Woah, there! Why so mad? I slack off all the time, and all I get is a smack or two! Why the earful?" He was right. Usually, whenever he neglected his chores, his punishment would be a foot to the ribs, and then maybe a cruel word or two before he and Kido returned to their previous activities. However, she seemed especially pissed off about this time, and he was actually sort of scared.

"Why the earful?" Kido growled in repetition, taking another menacing step towards him. Slipping her hand into her hoodie pocket, she wrapped her fingers around something and whipped it back out, throwing it forcefully at Kano's chest as he yelps in surprise. "That's why! This is your fault!"

Kano looked down and picked up the object on his lap, inspecting it. It appeared to be Kido's old iPod, but it was so disfigured that Kano couldn't be entirely sure. Kido hadn't been one to take very good care of the electronic as it was, but now it was utterly destroyed. It's previously rectangular shape was battered, and the screen was cracked so much that hardly any of the black behind it could be seen. The Menu button was chipped and partially detached. Kano's eyebrows raised as he scoffed at the iPod (if it could still be considered one).

"What did you do? Toss it through a wood chipper?" he joked.

"What did _I _do?! If you had just gone out and gotten the groceries, like you were supposed to, I wouldn't have ended up tripping and dropping it in the street!" Kido huffed back. Kano looked up at hearing her voice waver. Her chest was heaving, and, though it was hard to see, there were tears in her eyes, which had gone red. Kano's eyes widened slightly, and he leaned forward.

"Ah, so that's what happened? Kido, it's just an iPod. I'm sure we have enough by now to get you another one!" He reasoned, trying to calm her down.

"He's right, Kido. You needed another one anyway, didn't you? I just got my monthly payment, so we can go out later to buy a new one!" Seto added soothingly, smiling in an attempt to calm her down.

However, Kido remained seething with rage. She tilted her head down, hiding her face as she clenched her fists. "I don't want a new one… I…" She muttered another few words before swerving suddenly. Her arms and legs were stiff as she trudged out of the living room and into her room, shutting the door behind her.

_**A/N:**_

_**I know this is a bit like the chapter NekuSakuraba101 wrote, but I've had this idea in my head for forever, so I had to write it.**_

_**The next chapter will be a continuation of this one.**_


	13. Argument (Part 2)

13. Argument (Part 2)

The time passed by slowly, spent in silence. Kano and Seto remained sitting, restless due to the previous event. Neither of them attempted to coax Kido back out from her room. They were still trying to figure out exactly why she was so upset in the first place.

"Well," Seto began suddenly, "I have to head to work. You'll set this whole thing straight, won't you?" He stood up and straightened out his work uniform.

Kano chuckled slightly and stood up as well, following Seto as he headed for the front door. "Nah. I got some business to take care of in town. I'll deal with her later."

Seto sighed. "If you say so…"

The two of them were silent on the way out of the complex, and out onto the streets of the city. They parted ways when they reached the small business Seto was currently employed at, and Kano continued further into the city. It took him a good while to reach an electronics store.

When he entered the small store, he looked around casually at the people gawking at new devices and gadgets, pretending to show interest. He made his way towards the counter and approached the employee with a warm grin.

"Hi there!" he greeted.

The middle-aged man posted at the desk looked back at him and replied, "Is there something I can help you with, young man?"

"Yes, actually, there is!" Kano reached into his pocket and wrapped his fingers around the destroyed iPod Kido had thrown at him earlier. He pulled it out and gently set it down on the counter, containing a chuckle at seeing the bewildered expression on the man's face. "I need to replace this."

The clerk stared at it in disbelief. "Ehm… Replace it? What exactly are you asking?"

"Well, I'm not entirely sure, myself… But is it possible for you to transfer the memory in this iPod to a new one?"

Picking it up gingerly, as if it were some ancient relic that would crumble between his fingers, the clerk inspected it. "Well, it's… a bit of an outdated model. Though, I imagine that might be possible, if the internal memory storage isn't as damaged as the exterior…"

Kano nodded and continued to look at him, awaiting more of an answer. The clerk glanced up at Kano, sighing. "Alright. I'll see what I can do. Would you mind waiting out here for a few minutes?"

"Not at all! Take your time!" Kano replied cheerfully. The clerk stood and took the iPod with him into a room in the back.

Kano wandered around the store aimlessly for a while, and picked out a new iPod for Kido (one that looked somewhat similar to her old one), before he heard the clerk clear his throat back at the end of the room. He happily skipped back to the counter and looked at the man expectantly.

"Miraculously," the clerk began, "I was able to save the memory from your iPod, and I transferred the data onto a computer back here. If you'll come with me…" He led Kano into the back room, and showed him a computer with a list of all the songs and files on the iPod displayed on the screen. "Does that look like everything that was on there before?" Kano smiled at seeing some of the songs that were old-time favorites of Kido's. But, his eyes widened slightly at the sight of a few words on the Menu to the side.

"Voice Memos (1)"

Kano's smile faded slightly as he took hold of the mouse and moved it to the folder, double-clicking on it and opening the window. The clerk questioned him as he clicked on the untitled file, and listened to the familiar, warm voice that spoke.

"Tsubomi—No, I suppose I should call you 'Kido' now… Kido, I… Um… Heh…" Kano's eyes widened further. The voice belonged to Ayano. He hadn't heard it in so long, and it shocked him. "I'm going on a mission. It's a mission I've been planning for a while. It's very, _very _important to me. If I succeed, I'll be saving lives, just like a real hero! You three will be so proud of me!" There was a long pause before she continued, "But… If I fail… Well, I'm sorry… I'm sorry I didn't tell you all first, but… Like I said, this mission is too important to me for me to pass it up." Ayano's voice began to waver as she went, becoming more and more weak and strained as she went. "I know that, if I do fail, you'll all be really sad… Maybe even angry with me. I wouldn't blame you. I'd be mad too! But… you all have to be brave. Especially you, Kido. You'll be the new Leader, after all. I need you too look after your little brothers, and help them. Be strong, like the little hero I know you are…" A soft, quiet sob followed that sentence, and Kano could barely make out her next words. "Well… I guess this is good bye… For now. I love you all so much!"

The message ended. Both men were staring at the computer screen. The clerk blinked in confusion. It was then that Kano realized he had tears streaking down his face. He quickly turned away and raised an arm to wipe them away. He activated his Eye Ability to hide the redness in and around his eyes, and turned back to the clerk.

"Yep! That's everything! Could you put it all on this one please?" he asked cheerfully, handing the new iPod to him, closing the window on the computer. The clerk instructed Kano to wait outside the room for a bit. Kano waited by the counter, wiping away any stray tears from before.

_Kido had that on her iPod the whole time… _he thought to himself, _and she never told us? Why would she keep something like that from us? _His mind flashed back to the scene in the apartment, when he and Seto were purely baffled by Kido's anger. Now he understood. She was so upset _because _that memo was on there. That was why she never wanted to trade her battered one out, and freaked out whenever she lost it.

He wondered how she would react when he presented her with the new one he was buying for her, and smiled brightly at the clerk when he returned with the wrapped-up iPod. Kano paid for it, and the extra money it cost for the memory to be transferred to the new one. He waved good bye to the clerk as he quickly left the store, and trotted home excitedly.

"Kidoooo~!" he called out when he opened the door to the apartment. He walked to the door to Kido's room, and knocked a few times. "I have a present for you, Kido!" Hearing no response, he twisted the doorknob, somewhat surprised to see it wasn't locked. He slowly opened the door and peeked in.

Kido was leaning back on her bed, reading a book in the dim light the window provided. She looked up at him and glared slightly as he approached her, grinning from ear to ear. "Look what I got!" he announced, bringing out the small package from behind his back and presenting it to her, "A brand new iPod!"

Kido glanced at the box for a split second before looking back at her book with an uninterested expression. "I told you already, I don't want a new one."

"But Kido…" he whined as he looked at the box and began to unwrap it "It's so nice! It's got no dents or scratches, and the paint is spotless!" He pulled out the device from its casing and cradled it in his hands as if it were a priceless, one-of-a-kind porcelain sculpture. He reached over and grabbed the ear buds from Kido's nightstand, and plugged them into the iPod, waiting as it turned on. "I mean, I went all the way downtown to get it for you, and spent most of our budget on it! You should at least look at it!"

He received another icy glare from Kido as she spat, "Why should I be so happy about something that you wasted our money on?!"

"Now, now, just give it a chance!" Kano flipped through the options and opened a certain file. He kneeled down beside Kido and grabbed the ear buds, reaching over and sticking one bud in each ear. She fussed and tried to push him away, but immediately halted when she heard what was playing. Her eyes widened, and her body froze as the book dropped from her hands. After a few moments of listening, she breathed out and looked at Kano.

"How…?" her eyes were wide with shock, and her eyebrows furrowed with confusion and relief at the same time.

Kano merely winked at her, and sat down on the bed next to her, smiling gently. Finding an opening in her hard outer shell, he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her against his side as she stared at the iPod, on the verge of tears. He said nothing, waiting for Ayano's message to finish.

"'Be strong…'" he repeated from the message, "That's what she wanted you to do, isn't it? You've done a great job, you know…" He rubbed her arm, feeling her begin to shake as she attempted to hold back tears. "But, that doesn't mean you can hide things from us. From now on, you have to promise you'll tell me about secrets like these, alright?"

There were a few moments of silence before Kido responded, "Alright… But, only if you promise too."

Kano didn't answer back. He simply smiled his rehearsed smile and pressed her close again, pressing the "Play" button on the iPod and replaying Ayano's final message.

* * *

_**A/N:**_

_**Again, sorry this chapter was late. But, I just started school again, so my chapters might have to be coming every other day now. Sorry! Please continue reading!**_


	14. Sick

14. Sick

Kano first had his suspicions when he noticed how stressed Kido seemed one night at dinner. Mary had just arrived at the apartment earlier that day, and it was her first dinner with the Dan. Kido worked hard to prepare a special dinner for the occasion, but something seemed to be troubling her throughout the evening.

Kano tried to ask her about what was on her mind, but she retorted with a cold reminder that the one he should be asking about was Mary, as it was her first time around people. He shrugged it off, but couldn't help but notice the way Kido fussed over what they had left in the fridge after dinner. She asked Seto when his next paycheck was, and was immediately fawning over their budget, going over it and making silent calculations as she helped set up a temporary bed in her room for Mary.

Over the course of the next week, she continued her strange attitude, suddenly concerned and nosy about everything everyone spent any money on. She begun to ration their food slightly, and was extremely uptight about snacks and seconds.

Kano understood that Kido was anxious about the arrival of Mary. Although she never once complained or argued about Mary's stay at the apartment, one more person meant one more mouth to feed, didn't it? Before, they had hardly enough money to take care of the three of them, and now there were four people.

Kano considered getting a job, but only as a last resort. He hated working under someone, and enjoyed the freedom he had under Seto's pay.

But, he began to worry more and more as the days went on. After nearly two weeks, Kido had started to refuse eating lunch, and took much smaller portions than the others did at breakfasts and dinners. She had become even more grumpy than usual, and often had a contorted expression on her face, as if in pain. Whenever Kano would ask, she would angrily snap back, "None of your business!" and he would back off without much of a fight.

However, his nervousness grew with each day. Kido was steadily growing weaker, and her cheeks sunk in a bit. Her entire face seemed a bit ghastly, and she often complained of lightheadedness whenever she stood up from the couch. She trembled slightly shook when she walked, and her hands shook when she cooked.

"Kido, are you sick? You look terrible," Kano casually said once, reaching out to feel her forehead for a fever. She raised her arm and slapped his hand away, but it was more of a gentle tap more than anything.

"Go away."

Kano's eyes flashed with worry briefly, but he hid it with a chuckle, and placed his hands on her shoulders, turning her towards the couch. "You've been quite the hard worker lately, haven't you? You should rest!"

She wrenched herself from his grasp, nearly toppling backwards as she spat, "Would you get off my back already?! I'm going out to the store to buy some more shampoo now. And no, you can't come."

Kano whined in disappointment, but followed her anyway as she went out the front door. She cursed at him, but didn't retaliate.

They were silent as they went on their way to the convenience store. Kido's eyes never left the ground, and she occasionally faltered in her steps, tipping over slightly before regaining her equilibrium. Kano watched her warily as he followed a few steps behind her.

Suddenly, Kido froze. Kano couldn't see her face as she wobbled back and forth slightly, before falling forward towards the ground. Kano exclaimed and dashed forward, sliding one arm under her waist and one under her right shoulder. It scared him how much his hand sunk into her stomach. He grunted and stumbled forward a bit under her weight, but stopped her from hitting the ground.

"K-Kido?" After stabilizing himself, he slipped her right arm over his neck and pulled himself to his feet. He leaned over a bit and looked at her face. Her eyes were closed, and skin pale. He bit his lip nervously, and looked around at the concerned faces of the people surrounding them. Kano forced a smile of reassurance and said, "Ah, she's just tired. No need to worry!"

He then half-carried, half-dragged Kido back to the apartment. Thankfully, they hadn't gone too far from the complex, but Kano was still exhausted by the time he pushed his way into the apartment, and had Mary help him put Kido in her bed.

"What's wrong with her, Mr. Kano?" Mary asked sweetly as they watched her for a bit.

Kano looked at Mary and smiled. "No need to worry, Mary! She's just tired. Why don't you go and call Seto? Tell him what happened, alright?" He handed her his phone and gently pushed her out into the living room, shutting Kido's door quietly before turning back to her unconscious figure on the bed.

Approaching her, his expression filled with worry, and his mind flashed back to the way his hand sunk into her waist when he caught her. Slowly turning to sit on the edge of the bed, he extended his hand and gingerly taking a hold of the hem of her hoodie and red sweater underneath. He took in a deep breath before pushing back the fabric, exposing the fair skin over Kido's stomach. Her flawless complexion caused a strange feeling in Kano's chest, and he swallowed nervously. But, the sight of her sunken figure snapped him back to focus.

As he continued to raise her clothes higher, he gazed at the sickly sight of her lower ribs sticking out like sore thumbs, and her waist curving inwards in an unnatural way. He sighed heavily, "Oh, Kido… What have you done to yourself?"

As if hearing his words, Kido's eyelids fluttered open, and she drew a deep breath in.

Kano quickly pulled her hoodie back down again and looked at her, tilting his head with a smirk.

"Good morning~!"

Kido watched him, confusion in her dark eyes. "Where am I?"

"In your room! You suddenly passed out earlier, so I carried you back here!" Kano replied cheerfully. _Idiot… _he thought to himself as he said so, _She's been torturing herself, and you're acting as if you don't care?! What is wrong with you?! Ask her about it! _

"Is that so…" Kido retorted solemnly, looking away and towards her window, "Sorry to have bothered you."

"Ah, don't worry, Kido! It was no trouble. But…" he hesitated before continuing, "Have you been feeling alright?" After a cold glance from Kido, he added, "I mean, you haven't been looking well."

"Are you making fun of me? What are you talking about? I'm fine." Kido turned her face away again. Kano contained a helpless smirk. She never _was _good at lying. He scooted closer and let his worried eyes show through his mask.

"Now, now. Don't lie. Have you been starving yourself so the rest of us could eat well?"

"… Don't be stupid. Why would I do that?"

"I don't know, but you have been, haven't you?"

"No, I haven't."

"Yes, you have."

"No, _I haven't_."

"Kido!" Kano heard his voice suddenly become very stern, and Kido's eyes widened in surprise as she turned to look at him again. "Why didn't you tell us?! You've been abusing yourself!"

"Shut up! You don't know that!"

Kano lifted his hand and pressed it down on Kido's stomach, making her jump and him shudder at the feeling of his hand sinking in.

"What the—Hey!"

"Kido, it's wrong. Hurting yourself for our benefit isn't helping us at all! You could die if you go on like this!"

Kido shifted, looking nervously at his hand. But, she soon gave in, and sighed out. "It… was only going to be for a bit longer… We don't have enough money to support all of us anymore…"

"So? It's not just your job to take care of us, you know. If there's a problem, we all have to take responsibility for it! So please…" Kano's voice cracked slightly as he bowed his head, leaning forward and placing his forehead on Kido's waist, much to her discomfort. "Please tell me what I can do to help…"

Silence filled the room. Only about a minute and a half later did Kido sigh and say quietly, "…Fine. You could start by making me some of that beef ramen we have in the cupboard."

* * *

_**A/N:**_

_**I'm so, so, so, so, SO sorry that this chapter was so late. I haven't even been at home enough recently to write, so yeah… Also, the end of this chapter was cut short because I had to go to a late-night babysitting job, and didn't want this to be another day late! Sorry!**_

_**But, I'm a bit excited for the next chapter. We're finally getting into some actual KanoKido stuff now! It's going to be titled, "In a Tight Spot". Ohhh!**_

* * *

**_Okay guys. My stress level is currently through the roof, and I need some time to catch up on school and with friends. So the next chapter might not be for a while. I know I called this a 30-Day Challenge, but I need some time to just... yeah. So please forgive me! Wow! I apologize a lot!_**


	15. In a Tight Spot

_**A/N:**_

_**Okay, we're doing a bit of a time-skip here. Now, the MD has all nine members, just so you know.**_

* * *

15. In a Tight Spot

It was a well-known fact among the members of the Mekakushi Dan that Kido was the reigning scaredy-cat of the group. Although Shintaro stood as a close second to her, it was clear even to someone as clueless as Konoha who the queen of fright was—both causing it in others and having it herself. The green-haired girl was terrified of just about everything there existed a fear of, whether she showed it or not. Most of the members respected their leader's weak spot, and were careful about where they went or what they did. All except one.

Kano Shuuya was always trying new things to freak her out. Sneaking up behind her, hiding in places and spooking her, putting fake bugs or snakes on her bed or in the shower—Anything that would create some sort of reaction from her.

So, it was natural that Kido refused Kano's offer to ride with him on the Ferris wheel when the Mekakushi Dan went to the cultural festival downtown. Throughout the hours of booth games and treats, Kano never attempted to convince Kido to ride any of the fast or wild rides with the rest of them. Kido was certain that he finally understood that she had no intention of letting herself be made out to be a fool. However, there was still that teeny-tiny, miniscule flame of doubt in the back of her mind that told her he was up to something. She realized what that thing was when Kano was suddenly strangely excited about the whole gang riding the 50-foot, brightly-lit wheel that towered over the rest of the festival.

He pranced around the group, herding them towards it. Most of them shared in his ecstasy, except for the obvious few scaredy-cats; Shintaro and Kido (and Hibiya, although he didn't show it as easily). Kido was especially silent as they approached, figuring they all knew what her answer would be. Kano turned and set his bright-eyed gaze on her.

"Kido~! Surely our fearless leader isn't terrified of something as harmless and childlike as a Ferris wheel!" he mocked in a sing-song tone.

Kido sharply glared at him, prepared with her rehearsed response. "Don't be stupid. Why would I be scared of something like that?!"

Kano chuckled and retorted, "I dunno! Just making sure you were going with us!"

"Like hell I'm going on…" Kido growled back.

The rest of the group each began to take jabs at coaxing Kido onto the wheel. With each step towards it, Kido found herself growing more and more nervous. She looked up from under her hood at the array of glowing, colored bulbs, and at the towering, freakishly-lean frame of the machine that seemed to threaten to crush all those below it. Her heart skipped a beat at hearing an eminent creaking sound emerge from the structure as the suspended booths slowly swung to and fro.

As they approached the ticket master, Kido tried to slink out of the group. But, she was startled by the feeling of fingers gripping her arm, and she looked back to see Kano's grinning face staring back at her.

"Come on now, Leader~ It'll be fun!" he winked, pulling her back into line. Despite Kido's frantic arguments and curses, he kept a firm grasp on her, not giving her a chance to run. He greeted the ticket man with a wide smile as they stood at the front of the group.

"Hello there!" the man began, "Are you two partners?"

"Partners?" Kido spat, glaring at Kano again.

Kano just grinned at the man. "Yep!" He then turned to Kido and beamed, "You didn't see the sign? Each booth takes two people, so it's a couples ride!"

Kido nearly choked at the words. Speechless, she looked back at the rest of the gang, who all already seemed to know this, and had lined up into pairs: Seto with Mary (which was painfully obvious), Momo with Hibiya, and Shintaro with Konoha (since Ene took up such little space, they decided they'd take her with them too). Most of them snickered at Kido's helpless expression as Kano handed over their tickets and guided her to the open booth in front of them. She tried to wrench her arm from his grasp, but his clench tightened around her, and even she found herself unable to pull away.

Before she knew it, Kano had forced her into the shockingly-small, cushioned booth. The red, velvet seats and violet curtains over the windows implied that this ride wasn't just for viewing the city from dozens of feet above the ground… Kido swallowed hard as the small, heart-shaped panel was shut behind her.

Kano chuckled and looked around as he ducked under the low ceiling, making himself comfortable on the right seat. "Pretty cozy, eh?" he half-mumbled as he stretched, spreading his arms across the top of the cushions and crossing his legs.

Kido was awkwardly hunched over in the small space, but refused to sit down for a moment, feeling sweat beads form under her thick bangs. But, a sudden creaking sound, followed by the jerking motion of the booth beginning to move, sent Kido collapsing onto the left seat, as far from Kano as she could be.

She folded her arms and buried her face into her turtleneck, nearly shaking from nervousness. She could feel Kano's plastered grin burning through her hood. Shoving her clammy hands into her pocket, she fumbled for her treasured iPod, and mashed at the buttons until a familiar song began to resound through the ear buds that were already placed in her ears.

The booth begun to swing slightly as Kido noticed Kano scoot over on his seat to face her. In the small space between them, his knees knocked against hers roughly, and she growled at him under her breath. She pressed back against the back of the seat as he leaned forwards towards her.

About 6 inches away from her face, Kano's mouth opened up to say something. However, he was cut off by a loud, metallic screeching, followed by a sudden halt in the booth's movement. This caused a jerking motion as the booth swung forward suddenly. Kido felt her weight fall against the back of the seat as her eyes widened. Kano's face also showed shock as the tilt brought him crashing onto Kido.

In an attempt to catch himself, Kano brought his arms up and pressed his hands against the glass above Kido's head. One of his knees, caught in between Kido's, abruptly slid up against them as his forehead came forward and slammed painfully against hers. A disgruntled cry came from both of them as they tried to regain their senses.

After a few dizzy seconds, Kido managed to open her eyes slightly. Time seemed to stop as she realized the position the two of them were in, as if mocking her situation. Her eyes widened. It wasn't for several more agonizing seconds that Kano also opened his eyes. Both of them were paralyzed in their shock, Kano's face millimeters from hers. Kido squirmed slightly, but froze at feeling his leg between her thighs. She felt her face heat up, and looked away from his surprised gaze.

But, as she suspected he would, Kano began to chuckle. A wide grin broke out on his face, and he tapped his fists on the glass as he laughed harder. Kido could feel every movement of his body, and it didn't help her flustered face. At all.

"S… Stop that… This isn't funny… I-Idiot…" she mumbled, so quietly she wasn't sure he could hear her.

But, apparently he had, because he quickly retorted with, "Your face was… too priceless!" He kicked his head back and roared with laughter, making Kido blush madly and raise her fists to shove him away. He fell back against the opposite seat, holding his stomach. Kido looked away from him and ducked under her hood, knowing that even her eye ability couldn't hide the enraged redness that consumed her face.

A few minutes later, the ride began moving again. It was a quiet ride back down, and when they reached the ground and were let out, the ticket master apologized immensely for the technical difficulty. Kido waved it off and waited for the rest of the group to get off and join them. Seto was quick to ask what happened when the ride malfunctioned, to which Kido quickly replied:

"Nothing."

* * *

_**A/N:**_

_**I'M SO SO SO SO SORRY I TOOK SO MUCH LONGER THAN I SAID I WOULD IT'S BEEN SO CRAZY AND I'M JUST SORRY I'LL TRY TO GET THE NEXT CHAPTER OUT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.**_


End file.
